Azerbaijan Arrests 4 Over Attempted Assassination of Anti-Iran Lawmaker

A police officer stands in front of the house of MP Fazil Mustafa in Baku. (EPA Azerbaijan)
A police officer stands in front of the house of MP Fazil Mustafa in Baku. (EPA Azerbaijan)
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Azerbaijan Arrests 4 Over Attempted Assassination of Anti-Iran Lawmaker

A police officer stands in front of the house of MP Fazil Mustafa in Baku. (EPA Azerbaijan)
A police officer stands in front of the house of MP Fazil Mustafa in Baku. (EPA Azerbaijan)

Azerbaijan arrested four people in connection with the attempted assassination of an anti-Iran lawmaker, who was shot and wounded last week, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.

Representative Fazil Mustafa, who has been highly critical of Iran, was receiving treatment in a hospital after being shot in the attack.

Mustafa's assistant, Ajdar Aliyev, told Reuters the politician was feeling well and expected to return to his home, which he said was under police guard, in the coming days.

The interior ministry spokesman declined to give details of the arrested suspects, saying a statement would be released later.

However, Azerbaijani media reported that one of the detainees, Hasan Ramez, is the brother of Hossein Ramez who previously threatened the deputy from his residence in Iran.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador, Abbas Mousavi, in response to a memorandum sent by the Iranian embassy in protest against Azerbaijani media coverage about Iran.

Local Azertac news agency reported that the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, Aykhan Hajizada, disputed the claims made in the complaint.

Moreover, the Foreign Ministry handed the ambassador several articles published in Iranian media against Azerbaijan.

"Ambassador of Iran to Azerbaijan was informed that the insulting, false, defamatory and biased information about the Republic of Azerbaijan and its government officials regularly spread in the Iranian media, as well as well-known Iranian public and political figures' statements and speeches, undermine relations between our countries and further deepen misunderstandings," read the statement.

The misunderstandings arising in "our relations are constantly caused by the unilateral behavior and steps of the Iranian side, as well as the inadequate reciprocation by Iran of consistent and well-intentioned steps by Azerbaijan."

The Azerbaijani official urged the Iranian diplomat to "prevent the spread of false and biased information against Azerbaijan in Iranian media."

Relations between Azerbaijan and Iran had already been strained after an attack on Baku’s embassy in Tehran in January, which resulted in casualties.

Baku insisted it was a "terrorist attack," while Tehran claimed the attacker had "personal motives."

Relations between the two countries were also strained by military movements between Armenia and Azerbaijan around the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Tensions between the two oil-rich neighbors deepened after Azerbaijan sent an ambassador to Israel and opened an embassy there last week.

Last Friday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's statements regarding the agreement with his Azerbaijani counterpart on "forming a united front" against Iran. Baku denied making any statement against Tehran.



2 Dead in Mass Drone Barrage on Moscow Aiming to 'Disrupt' Russia's Elections

Emergency services personnel stand around the body of a victim killed in what authorities described as a Ukrainian drone strike on a residential building, amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Sofyino settlement in the Ramensky district of the Moscow region, Russia, September, 20, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
Emergency services personnel stand around the body of a victim killed in what authorities described as a Ukrainian drone strike on a residential building, amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Sofyino settlement in the Ramensky district of the Moscow region, Russia, September, 20, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
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2 Dead in Mass Drone Barrage on Moscow Aiming to 'Disrupt' Russia's Elections

Emergency services personnel stand around the body of a victim killed in what authorities described as a Ukrainian drone strike on a residential building, amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Sofyino settlement in the Ramensky district of the Moscow region, Russia, September, 20, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
Emergency services personnel stand around the body of a victim killed in what authorities described as a Ukrainian drone strike on a residential building, amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Sofyino settlement in the Ramensky district of the Moscow region, Russia, September, 20, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

Hundreds of drones targeting Moscow and its surrounding region killed at least two people and damaged a major refinery on the final day of the country's parliamentary elections, the authorities said Sunday.

The capital's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that more than 1,600 drones had been intercepted and shot down, 450 of which were aimed at Moscow.

He accused Ukraine of attempting to interfere with a tightly controlled three-day election that is set to tighten President Vladimir Putin's 26-year grip on power.

"The unprecedented attack was clearly planned with the aim of disrupting the elections. The enemy did not succeed," he said on Telegram, according to AFP.

Moscow regional Governor Andrey Vorobyov said on the social media platform that at least two people were killed -- a 44-year-old woman and an elderly man -- in two separate locations.

A fire triggered by a drone crashing into a 21-storey building also led to 400 people being evacuated, Vorobyov said. He did not specify the drones' origin.

The attacks come at a time when Kyiv stepped up its long-range drone strike campaign against Russia in recent months, particularly against energy infrastructure to target a vital source of the Kremlin's revenue to fund its war effort, now in its fifth year.

"A facility on the territory of the Moscow Oil Refinery has been damaged, Sobyanin added, noting that no casualties had been reported so far and that emergency services were on the scene.

This major refinery has already been hit by Ukrainian strikes in recent months.

The latest strike comes after US President Donald Trump said Monday that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to target each other's energy facilities.

It also comes after Russians began voting on Friday in the country's first parliamentary election since Moscow sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022, setting off a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands.


CENTCOM: Over 1 Billion Crude Oil Barrels Crossed Strait of Hormuz

A video grab from a clip published by the US Central Command on X, showing its forces operating in the Strait of Hormuz
A video grab from a clip published by the US Central Command on X, showing its forces operating in the Strait of Hormuz
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CENTCOM: Over 1 Billion Crude Oil Barrels Crossed Strait of Hormuz

A video grab from a clip published by the US Central Command on X, showing its forces operating in the Strait of Hormuz
A video grab from a clip published by the US Central Command on X, showing its forces operating in the Strait of Hormuz

The United States is working to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, as talks between Washington and Tehran remain stalled and the war is in its seventh month.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Adm. Brad Cooper said on Saturday that the US military is continuously working to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and secure, adding that US forces supported the transport of over 1 billion crude oil barrels through the Strait of Hormuz “in the last couple of months” despite an ongoing exchange of strikes with Iran.

“We’ve reached this significant milestone while assisting over 2000 commercial ship transits through the Strait by providing coordinated protection. Clearly momentum is building,” Cooper said in a video posted on social media.

“Thousands of ships have passed through the Strait. Over 1 billion barrels of crude have been shipped from Gulf partners through the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran has exported zero barrels thanks to our ironclad blockade,” he continued.

The US commander said CENTCOM is working with regional partners, along with insurance and shipping companies, to increase commercial traffic through the waterway.

“We're also working with every partner in the region, enhancing their air defense, forming a new coalition attack drone unit, and keeping the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters open and clear,” Cooper said.

His comments came as the United States and Iran remain locked in a military conflict following the collapse of both the April and June 2026 ceasefire agreements.

The US re-imposed its blockade of Iran's shipping and ports on July 13 in an attempt to cut off oil sales — Tehran's primary source of hard currency — compounding earlier losses from wartime strikes on its energy infrastructure.

 

CENTCOM said it assisted over 2000 commercial ship transits through the Strait

Iranian-Pakistani Talks

Amid growing concerns over the safety of oil supply routes, Pakistan has recently intensified its contacts with Tehran on regional developments.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi discussed regional developments over the phone on Saturday.

Dar emphasized the importance of “uninterrupted energy supplies and the safe and expeditious passage of ships,” particularly given their impact on developing countries and global supply chains, according to a Pakistani Foreign Ministry statement.

He stressed that dialogue and diplomacy remain the “only viable means” of ensuring peace and stability in the region.

The two sides agreed to maintain close cooperation and meet in New York on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly next week.

On Friday, The Financial Times said Pakistan’s army chief has urged Iran to try to rein in Houthi escalation in the region.

Field Marshal Asim Munir travelled to Tehran last month to meet Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and other political leaders and has held multiple phone calls with Araghchi — most recently on Thursday, according to Iranian news agency IRNA.

South Korea Does Not Object

Meanwhile, South Korea’s presidential office said Saturday that President Lee Jae Myung’s earlier remarks ruling out troop deployments that could involve the country in a war, did not amount to a “refusal of US President Donald Trump’s request for Seoul to send forces” to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, according to the Yonhap news agency.

Myung said on Friday he would not deploy military assets to the Middle East in a way that could draw the country into conflict, but Seoul was reviewing whether to play a greater role in safeguarding navigation in the region.

According to The New York Times, Myung pushed back against pressure from the Trump administration when he declared that his country would not deploy troops or military assets to support the US-led war against Iran.

“Lee did not turn down Trump’s request for South Korea’s cooperation on Middle East-related issues during yesterday’s press conference,” the Yonhap news agency reported on Saturday, citing a presidential official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.

The official said the government was reviewing “practical ways to contribute” in close coordination with the international community.

Seoul will continue to examine concrete options under its stated principle of not intervening in wars or combat, the official added.

Trump’s Major Decision

In Washington, US President Donald Trump has again raised the possibility of a major new military escalation against Iran while keeping the door open to negotiations.

Trump told Axios on Thursday that he was approaching a major decision over whether to restart large-scale attacks against Iran, asking whether he wanted to “go in and annihilate” the Iranian regime.

Trump on Wednesday said he hoped an end to the war against Iran was near. But US officials warned that the conflict had entered an “unsustainable stalemate that is neither full-scale war nor stable peace.”

 


Iran Says It Has Conveyed Conditions to Re-Engage in Talks, End War with US

 Women draped in Iranian flags march during the state-organized military-style parade in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP)
Women draped in Iranian flags march during the state-organized military-style parade in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP)
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Iran Says It Has Conveyed Conditions to Re-Engage in Talks, End War with US

 Women draped in Iranian flags march during the state-organized military-style parade in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP)
Women draped in Iranian flags march during the state-organized military-style parade in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP)

‌Iran has conveyed its conditions to mediators for re-engaging in negotiations aimed at ending the war with the ‌US, Al ‌Jazeera cited ‌Iran's ⁠Security Chief Mohsen Rezaei ⁠as saying in an interview on Saturday.

The conditions ⁠include ending the ‌war ‌on all ‌fronts, unfreezing Iranian ‌funds and ending the naval blockade, Rezaei said, adding ‌that consultations were continuing with ⁠Qatari ⁠and Pakistani mediators and that Tehran was awaiting a response from US President Donald Trump.